EAST RUTHERFORD --Ben McAdoo told his players to "put this game on me" when the Giants' latest appearance on Monday Night(mare) Football was over, so on the bright side, at least he got something right.

This is an offense that hasn't scored more than 20 points in eight games dating back to last season, which is kinda hard to do. McAdoo was supposed to have a sharp offensive mind when he arrived here from Green Bay, but since he took over as head coach, it is hard to find evidence to support that.

Reese let this team go into the 2017 season with an offensive line that everyone in the NFL knew was broken, a decision that may have ruined the season before it started. Manning looks like he'll soon be playing a skins game with his brother and father at their favorite Mississippi country club, and if he doesn't find a fountain of youth in a hurry, this franchise is headed for a world of hurt.

Manning faced pressure all game against the Lions, but on one first-half play, he crumpled to the turf without anyone even touching him after Ereck Flowers missed (another) block. It is the quarterback's job to make something out of that broken play, and watch even a few minutes of a highlights show, and you'll see example after example of an NFL quarterback doing just that.

Five years ago, Manning would have done it, too. He threw behind his target, Evan Engram, on a killer interception and, on a pair of second-half fourth-down plays, complete passes short of the yardage he needed to move the chains. If you can't see that the quarterback is a big part of the problem here, you are blinded by nostalgia.

But today's dreaded finger of blame is pointed directly at McAdoo. The Giants have too much talent to be this dreadful, with just 13 points in two double-digit losses to start the season, and the head coach doesn't seem to have any clue how to turn this offense around.

He stubbornly refused to consider other combinations on this offensive line, even after the Cowboys exposed that unit again in the season opener. McAdoo sent the same combination out for this game, promptly lost right tackle Bobby Hart to an injury that had bothered him all week.

He had to shift Justin Pugh from left guard to right tackle, which initially seemed to be a marked improvement. Then Lions defensive end Ezekiel Ansah started running laps around Flowers, and while McAdoo said he tried to get Flowers help, he left the big tackle to quite literally twist in the Meadowlands winds.

But this team has a myriad of problems beyond Flowers right now. Brandon Marshall dropped one long pass (bad) and barely extended his arms to try to catch a short one (worse). The special teams gave up an 88-yard touchdown return in a glaring example of a punter out-kicking the coverage. And how in the world does the offense get flagged for a delay of game on a potential game-changing fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line?

"Sloppy quarterback play," McAdoo said. "We have a veteran quarterback who has played a lot of football; I expect us to get the ball snapped. Usually the clock goes from three, two, one, zero. Once it hits zero, they look at the ball, then look at the clock. Usually we have a tick once it hits zero to get the ball snapped without being a delay of game. I thought we had a chance to get it off."

That was a rare rebuke of Manning, and while the quarterback agreed with the assessment, it's hard not to wonder if the coach is growing frustrated with the veteran quarterback. They're in this together: Manning, at 36, doesn't have much time left and McAdoo will only succeed if his QB does.

Manning is convinced he's not done. "I feel I can play at a high level," he said, "I feel I can make all the throws and play at a high level and lead this team." That's debatable.

What isn't up for debate is this: The Giants aren't going to get a significant upgrade at quarterback or offensive line in the six days between now and a must-win game for the Giants in Philadephia.

So it's up to McAdoo to figure something out now. "We have to analyze everything we're doing," the head coach said, and clearly, there are no easy answers for this team's struggles. But McAdoo better come up with something or this season will be over soon after it began.